Re: PCT newbie questions

[dempson@swell.actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

In article <fmlinC9Jx9B.4sB@netcom.com> fmlin@netcom.com (Frank M. Lin) writes:
> >I have no trouble formatting 1.44MB disks in a SuperDrive from the
> >PCT, using MS-DOS 3.3 or MS-DOS 5.0.
> 
> >Note: the SuperDrive is connected to its own card, and NOT to the PC
> >Transporter's drive connector.
> 
> Would a floptical work equally well?

It should do, provided the SCSI card correctly reports the disk size
according to the type of disk currently in the drive (the PCT uses the
number of blocks returned in the X & Y registers by a ProDOS driver
STATUS call).

> >The main problem with the SuperDrive and the PCT is that you must put a
> >disk of the size you intend to use into the SuperDrive BEFORE you
> >launch AEPC.SYSTEM (and eject it during the memory test, if you don't
> >want to boot from it).  AEPC.SYSTEM samples each ProDOS drive to
> >determine its size, so a disk of the correct type must be in the drive
> >for the PCT to be able to use it.  It probably has to be formatted,
> >but can be a ProDOS disk.
> 
> Maybe a floptical will even work with 21mb disks?

I doubt it, unless you set up the 21MB disk with a hard drive image
file.  It seems that MS-DOS doesn't like very large "floppy disks" - I
can't get the PCT to boot reliably if a floppy disk larger than 1.44MB
is online (e.g. if I set /RAM5 to 2 megabytes and have the PCT
configured to use it as the B: drive).

The PCT just hangs during the boot process.

With MS-DOS 5.0 or later, I think I managed to get a RAM disk of
exactly 2.88MB working, but sizes between 1.44 and 2.88 caused a hang,
as did sizes larger than 2.88 MB.


Unfortunately, the PCT's software doesn't support setting up large
volumes as if they were a hard drive (using direct block addressing
instead of a pre-allocated file), and loaded MS-DOS device drivers
won't work either, because they expect to access SCSI hardware which
doesn't exist in the PCT.

I wish Applied Engineering would release technical documentation on
the PC Transporter, such as how to write your own "portware", and how
to communicate between the Apple and PCT.

I'm tempted to disassemble AEPC.SYSTEM.
-- 
David Empson                                                               
dempson@swell.actrix.gen.nz                                                
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand